Egypt, 2011

I am pleased

to congratulate the brotherly State of Qatar and

Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser personally on

his election as President of the General Assembly at its

sixty-six session. I am confident that Mr. Al-Nasser’s

wise leadership of the Assembly’s proceedings will

help us fulfil our ambitions and aspirations. I also

congratulate Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on his

re-election to his second term as he continues to strive

to realize the purposes and principles of the Charter.

53 11-51360

I proudly stand before the Assembly today

representing Egypt in a new era and with a new face as

it leaves behind a fading era for one whose features are

just emerging, and as it embarks on a new phase

regarded by all Egyptians as auspicious and full of

promise. The Egyptian people came out en masse on

25 January calling for democratic reforms and

strengthened respect for human rights, fundamental

freedoms and social justice. The Egyptian people

wanted to plant the seeds of a brighter future deep in

the land of reality, for their sake and for the benefit of

their future generations.

The people obtained what they sought. They were

able to impose their word and enforce their will. They

were backed by the understanding and support of the

Egyptian armed forces, which truly exemplify genuine

patriotism and unity with the people of our nation. The

stance of our armed forces will be remembered by

history. It is consistent with their doctrine that they are

guardians of the nation, not of a specific political

regime, and with an institution that is first and

foremost loyal to the people, who for their part rallied

around their armed forces and expressed their

appreciation.

That ideal situation was made possible by

circumstances that can rarely be repeated and that

enabled the Egyptians to alter the face of their country

in a historic and wonderful way. Egyptians wanted to

rapidly catch up with other countries that had made

great strides in achieving political pluralism and the

alternation of power, in upholding and applying the

rule of law, in relentlessly fighting corruption in its

various forms, and in providing equal opportunities to

their youth to fulfil their ambitions and aspirations to

decent lives.

I am addressing the Assembly today as Egypt

moves forward, determined to complete the transitional

phase that arose from that remarkable transformative

change. Over the past few months, and indeed since the

revolution took place, Egypt has witnessed a new

internal dynamic and a wide national debate involving

all segments of society and covering all issues on the

national agenda. Foremost on that agenda are the

drafting of a new constitution and the organization of

the upcoming legislative and presidential elections.

Those steps will increase the prospects of success of

the transitional phase and launch a sound political

process commensurate with the aspirations of the

people and Egypt’s unique standing in the region and

worldwide. It is a process that will culminate in the

handing of power to an elected civilian authority.

Egypt is honoured to have held the chairmanship

of the Non-Aligned Movement since July 2009. The

start of this session of the General Assembly coincides

with the commemoration of the fiftieth year since the

first summit of the Movement took place, and to

celebrate its significant contributions to enhancing our

international efforts to preserve international peace and

security and achieve development for the peoples of

the world in a changing international environment and

in the face of multiple challenges. The commemoration

comes after a series of important events organized by

the Movement to promote the greater involvement of

developing countries in the governance of international

institutions and to ensure fair participation in the

process of international norms-setting and decision-

making in the political, economic and social fields.

On that basis and to that end, the Egyptian

chairmanship of the Movement has undertaken

numerous activities to strengthen the Movement’s

capacity to respond effectively to new and ongoing

international changes. The Movement has also played a

vital role in coordinating the positions of its member

States on various issues on the international agenda,

including those related to disarmament, collective

security, the reform of the United Nations, and the

promotion of international ideals and values of

democracy and respect for human rights.

During its chairmanship of the Movement, Egypt

has sought to reinforce the Joint Coordinating

Committee of the Group of 77 and China. In the light

of an international work agenda loaded with issues,

ideas and initiatives, we resolved to restore the issue of

development in its various dimensions as the top

priority of the United Nations, and together we adopted

a number of important initiatives in the fields of food

security, the empowerment of women and the fight

against human trafficking. We will pursue those efforts

until we hand over the chairmanship of the Movement

in the summer of 2012 to the country chairing it next.

I reiterate here today the support of the

Non-Aligned Movement for the historic struggle of the

brotherly Palestinian people to regain their legitimate

rights, for the efforts made towards declaring the

establishment of the independent State of Palestine,

with East Jerusalem as its capital, and for its admission

as a full Member of the United Nations. I also call on

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the countries that have not yet recognized the State of

Palestine to do so as a contribution to the pursuit of a

just, lasting and comprehensive settlement of the

Middle East conflict based on the two-State solution.

The Non-Aligned Movement believes that there

is a pressing need for a comprehensive and substantial

reform of the United Nations in order to strengthen its

ability to respond positively to international

challenges, to meet to the aspirations of peoples, and to

address the radical changes that have altered the shape

and composition of the international community so that

the United Nations may become a true reflection of the

realities of today’s world.

Such reform will not be achieved unless the

Security Council is reformed and becomes more

representative, more transparent and more reflective of

the democratic nature of global action. Inevitably,

major steps must be taken to end the monopoly of

permanent members over the decision-making process

in the Council and to put an end to the historical

injustice inflicted on Africa as a result of its

non-representation in the permanent membership

category, as well as its inadequate representation in the

non-permanent membership category, despite Member

States’ growing support for the African position. In the

same context, States members of the Non-Aligned

Movement demand that efforts be continued to

revitalize the role of the General Assembly and to

strengthen the role of the Economic and Social

Council.

The States members of the Non-Aligned

Movement also reaffirm the need for the international

community to support the work of developing countries

to implement their development plans aimed at

achieving the Millennium Development Goals, through

an enabling international climate that bolsters efforts to

realize comprehensive economic and social

development, and the fulfilment by all developed

countries of their financing for development

commitments. It must also support their efforts to

achieve more balanced international economic

relations and to establish a fairer international trade

system that takes into account the development needs

of developing countries.

We feel nothing but deep sorrow every time we

realize that, for decades, grave historic injustice has

been inflicted on a people while, to date, the entire

world has failed to end it. The just question of

Palestine endures after two entire decades of fruitless

negotiations without the desired settlement. To this

day, the Palestinian people remain deprived of their

legitimate fundamental rights, including their rights to

freedom, independence and to establish their own

sovereign State on the basis of the 1967 borders, with

East Jerusalem as its capital.

That is the very State for which the Palestinian

President yesterday submitted a request for

membership of the United Nations (A/66/371, annex),

after serious and just efforts towards a final settlement

had stalled and any chance of achieving significant

progress in the negotiating process had dwindled, in

particular since the other party insists on keeping the

negotiating process open forever. Yesterday, we saw

the Quartet fail yet again to come up with a balanced

vision to achieve the goal that we all know and

approve of, yet differ on how to realize.

It is utterly absurd to carry on talking about a

peace process, while Israel continues, in all comfort

and complete disregard for the objections of the

countries of the world, to construct settlements on the

Palestinian territories in the West Bank, altering the

features of occupied East Jerusalem, using violence

against civilians and continuing its blockade of Gaza,

in violation of the provisions of international law.

Regrettably, anyone with a sense of justice

following the situation will see in Israel’s actions the

embodiment of its continuing refusal to admit that the

only way to achieve its security is by reaching a just

settlement with the Palestinians through serious

negotiations based on clear parameters and terms of

reference and a specific time frame. What is urgently

needed now is to intensify all our efforts in order to put

an end to the conflict.

Egypt has been and will remain committed to the

goal of achieving the just and comprehensive peace

that it initiated in the Middle East, and will continue to

actively support it. Egypt will continue its efforts to

end the Israeli occupation of the occupied Palestinian

territories and to resolve all final-status issues within a

specific, agreed and internationally guaranteed time

frame. Egypt will also maintain its efforts to capitalize

on the successes achieved in Cairo through the signing

of the Palestinian reconciliation agreement, thereby

strengthening Palestinian unity and efforts to achieve

peace.

55 11-51360

Egypt welcomes the presence of the Republic of

South Sudan among us today as a State Member of the

United Nations. We hope that that nascent State will

play a tangible role in regional stability, and that it will

make steady progress on the road to development and

institution-building. At the same time, we commend

the Sudan for its commitment to implementing the

Comprehensive Peace Agreement and to respecting the

will of the people of the South for an independent

State.

However, even though last year witnessed

significant cooperation between the two sides,

outstanding issues remain unsettled. They should be

resolved within a framework of cooperation and

goodwill, which requires the formation of a genuine

partnership to examine how to address such issues. It is

no secret that the Sudan and South Sudan still look

forward to the support of the international community

for their development and reconstruction efforts so that

the Sudan can achieve stability and development

throughout its territory, within the context of its unity

and territorial integrity, and so that South Sudan can

build its State and institutions. On that basis, I reiterate

Egypt’s resolve to continue supporting both countries

at all levels.

On behalf of Egypt, I would also like to pay a

deserved tribute to the revolution of the sisterly State

of Tunisia, which expedited dawn of the Arab Spring. I

also express our solidarity with the brotherly people of

Libya, and congratulate the National Transitional

Council on its assumption of the seat of Libya at the

United Nations. I salute its efforts to restore stability

and internal peace. I would also like to express Egypt’s

readiness to provide any support that may contribute to

the country’s reconstruction efforts and help it to get

through this critical period.

As for the brotherly State of Yemen, Egypt

supports all ongoing efforts to achieve stability and to

meet the expectations of its people, in accordance with

mechanisms to be agreed by the people of Yemen

themselves. If the status quo remains unchanged, that

will undoubtedly have grave and negative implications

for the security and stability of the region.

Many Egyptians are following with great concern

the serious developments in the brotherly State of Syria

and the resulting loss of lives and the suffering endured

by our brothers and sisters there. Today, I would like to

reiterate the position previously expressed by Egypt

that the only solution to the crisis in Syria lies in

ending the violence and engaging in a serious dialogue

among all parties in a climate of political openness.

Meanwhile, I cannot fail to mention the Arab

Gulf region today and must emphasize that the security

and stability of the brotherly Arab States of the Gulf

are of particular strategic importance to Egypt. Given

the deep historical, societal, cultural, political and

security ties that bond us with our brothers and sisters

in those countries, they are granted very high priority

and attention in Egypt’s foreign policy. Egypt will

always strive to achieve the stability of that vital region

of the world.

The issues of disarmament and nuclear

non-proliferation remain of great importance to Egypt.

In cooperation with our international partners, we will

continue to urge nuclear States to undertake their

responsibilities, as stipulated in the Treaty on the

Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), in order

to safeguard the credibility of that legal instrument and

its ensuing indivisible principles. Furthermore, Egypt

will spare no effort in pursuing the goal of realizing the

universality of the NPT, especially in the Middle East,

where all countries have acceded to the Treaty, with the

exception of Israel, which is thus delaying the creation

of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region.

That is why Egypt attaches great importance to

the implementation of the four action plans adopted at

the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the NPT,

and especially the plan relating to the Middle East and

endorsing the holding of a conference on the Middle

East next year. In reality, we are concerned that a

facilitator has not yet been appointed or a host country

selected, even though more than 16 months have

elapsed since the Review Conference ended.

In that context, I reiterate Egypt’s firm position

that the right to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy

must be linked to full compliance with international

commitments under the Treaty, which entails the full

cooperation of all Member States with the International

Atomic Energy Agency, and avoiding any escalation in

order to promote non-proliferation efforts in the region.

Africa has always held a privileged position and

unique priority status on the Egyptian foreign policy

agenda. Egypt was a consistent and effective partner of

the peoples of the continent in their struggle to gain

independence in the 1950s and 1960s. This partnership

continued during the reconstruction period that

11-51360 56

followed independence. Egypt will increasingly work

to activate and deepen its various cooperation

mechanisms and frameworks with other African

countries and strive to propel them towards a new

dawn, thereby contributing to the realization of the

hopes and aspirations of our peoples for more

development and increased prosperity.

Egypt expects the United Nations to maintain its

efforts to support the various components of the

African peace and security architecture and to build the

institutional capacity of the continent in conflict

resolution, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and

reconstruction. Those efforts should complement its

support for the development aspirations and attempts

of the African countries to achieve the Millennium

Development Goals, in the light of the interlinkages

between peace, security and development challenges in

Africa.

Egypt is following with concern the ever-

deteriorating situation in Somalia and calls for

concerted regional and international efforts to put an

end to the sufferings of the brotherly people of that

country and to enable them to achieve peace and

success in their capacity-building process. Egypt once

again invites external parties to refrain from negatively

interfering in the internal affairs of Somalia and to

contribute instead to efforts to improve the

humanitarian situation and achieve stability.

In this regard, Egypt has effectively contributed

to international efforts to address the problem of

drought in the Horn of Africa, eradicate hunger and

provide food to the affected populations. Egypt also

contributes to the fight to exterminate piracy along the

coast of Somalia, given the strategic importance of the

waters south of the Red and Arabian Seas, especially in

relation to Egypt’s national security and to the safety of

navigation in the Suez Canal.

The ability of the United Nations to assume its

responsibilities depends on our collective will. What is

required is resolve based on a robust determination to

strengthen our joint international efforts to enable the

Organization to deal more effectively with the various

international and regional issues and problems that we

face. That requires collective hard work to reinforce

the principles of democracy within multilateralism and

to promote dialogue and understanding as the sole

means for achieving our goals, thereby advancing the

ideals of humanity and achieving the ambitions of our

peoples for freedom, justice, peace and security.